Local Legends - Zero Carbon Merri-bek

Women standing in front of a house with solar panels on the roof.

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Electrify your home: Zavi’s story

For Fawkner resident, Zavi making their family home all electric is part of leaving something…

Donna LuckmanJuly 21, 2026

Group of people in a classroom sitting around a large stable mending their own clothes.

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Merri Menders – helping locals reduce textile waste while mending clothes

The Merri Menders is a small group of locals who are supporting the change towards…

Donna LuckmanJuly 21, 2026

Photo looking down on a block of brick apartments with solar on the roof

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Solar subsidy helps Brunswick apartment residents

Esther Stewart lives in a 1960s cream brick building of 12 apartments on Park St…

Donna LuckmanApril 8, 2026

Photo of inner city suburb skyline with an apartment block with solar panels on roof in foreground.

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Brunswick apartment owners band together to get solar

With the help of a grant from Solar Victoria’s Solar for Apartments program, Ed and…

Donna LuckmanOctober 24, 2025

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Wheel Sisters – Artwork Launch Meet & Greet

📅Date: Saturday 23rd August 🕚Time: 10am - 12pm 📍Where: Glenroy Linear Park (cnr Hartington Street…

Donna LuckmanJuly 21, 2025

Four school kids with hats standing around handmade sign

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Students spearhead sustainability journey

Congratulations to Brunswick South Primary School as a finalists in Sustainability Victoria’s 2025 ResourceSmart Schools…

Donna LuckmanApril 30, 2025

Person serving a customer from a table of fruit and vegetables

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Merri Food Hub – promoting food justice in Merri-bek

Merri Food Hub was founded in March 2022 and is committed to promoting food justice…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 28, 2025

Man standing in front of windows with remote control closing blinds

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Low and high-tech pathways to all-electric

In 2021, Mel and Scott bought a promising 1980s two-storey home in North Coburg. Like…

Donna LuckmanJune 27, 2024

Stuffed toy being repaired on a sewing machine

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Pascoe Vale Repair Cafe goes from strength to strength

In 2022, the Pascoe Vale Repair Café at Sussex Neighbourhood House was trialled four times…

Donna LuckmanJune 27, 2024

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Share your story as part of Sustainable House Day

Be part of the movement to showcase your home’s sustainable features to inspire your neighbours?…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 5, 2024

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All-electric e-cargo deliveries at the Brunswick Tool Library

The Brunswick Tool Library has bought an electric cargo bike for tool deliveries thanks to…

Donna LuckmanJune 15, 2023

Women standing next to pedestrian sign by roadside.

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Andrea Bunting Walks On Merri-bek

Our “Local Legends” articles celebrate local people – often working as volunteers – shaping Merri-bek…

Donna LuckmanApril 24, 2023

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Install insulation with Council support

Maria read about Merri-bek Council’s support for installing insulation in her home in the quarterly…

Donna LuckmanApril 19, 2023

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Pre-loved homewares for those in need

Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network (RIMERN) is a multi Rotary club project that supports…

Donna LuckmanMarch 27, 2023

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Hassle-free transport: Merri-bek e-cargo bike trial

Seeking a sustainable transport option for staff during work hours, Merri-bek City Council is trialling…

Donna LuckmanMarch 1, 2023

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Neighbours United for Climate Action celebrates Community Climate Action Series

Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA) is Merri-bek and Darebin-based community group that is all about…

Zoe McMastersFebruary 1, 2023

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Millsom family go solar in Coburg

Today over 9142 homes in Merri-bek have rooftop solar, but when the Millsom family installed…

Donna LuckmanDecember 28, 2022

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Clean up Glenroy!

Flower Jogiya-Mitchell started Clean Up Glenroy over Covid lockdown. During daily walks with her husband,…

Donna LuckmanSeptember 20, 2022

Tomato seedlings at Mulberry Community Garden

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Mulberry Community Garden Glenroy

The Mulberry Community Garden Glenroy welcomes all to learn how to grow fruit and vegetables.…

Donna LuckmanSeptember 9, 2022

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Selvatica in Coburg North goes solar

Selvatica is a coffee roastery and indoor plant nursery near Bunnings Coburg at 54 Gaffney…

Donna LuckmanSeptember 7, 2022

Katy and her sons standing in front of her home

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6 months to all-electric

Less than 6 months from making up her mind to electrify her family home in…

Zoe McMastersJuly 26, 2022

Solar panels on commercial building roof

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Terra Madre

Long-time staple in its labyrinthine Northcote store, in May 2021 Terra Madre upsized to Merri-bek…

Donna LuckmanMay 20, 2022

John Englart holding sign at student climate strike

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Climate Action Merri-bek

John Englart is an indefatigable climate action leader and long-term Merri-bek resident. Convenor of community…

Donna LuckmanApril 27, 2022

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Reducing packaging waste with Wholefood Unwrapped Collective

In late 2019, a Coburg North resident decided to do something about food packaging. Gabrielle…

Donna LuckmanMarch 27, 2022

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Fawkner Olympian takes climate action

Olympic racewalker and Fawkner local, Rhydian Cowley, competed for Australia in Tokyo, where he finished…

Donna LuckmanFebruary 7, 2022

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Growing Farmers

Growing Farmers is a community project based in Merri-bek. They aim to develop regenerative farming…

Donna LuckmanSeptember 3, 2021

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CERES Fair Wood

Timber is a key ingredient when renovating or undertaking DIY projects at home, but few…

Donna LuckmanJuly 22, 2021

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Fawkner Food Bowls

Fawkner Food Bowls is a local volunteer group enhancing food security and community resilience in…

Donna LuckmanJune 21, 2021

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Make Brunswick Sparkle!

Early 2019, Brunswick local Sharon Rayner put a call out on her neighbourhood Facebook page…

Donna LuckmanJune 21, 2021

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On the tools at Brunswick Tool Library

Next time you need a garden mulcher, spirit level or a hand plane, consider the…

Donna LuckmanJune 8, 2021

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An all-electric “Cheese House”

The Sesso Hull family of four make affordable and sustainable decisions wherever possible. Six years…

Donna LuckmanApril 21, 2021

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Ringing the bell on climate action

The Brunswick Uniting Church rang the bell on climate change as part of a global,…

Donna LuckmanMarch 18, 2021

Women standing under a backyard pegola with purple wisteria

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Denise of Doctors for the Environment Australia

Denise Cauchi is the Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) and has…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 19, 2021

Photo of a man on a back deck of a sustainable house with raised vegetable boxes

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Dom’s sustainable home

Dom Mendonca has lived in Brunswick for 15 years and he has developed his suburban…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 18, 2021

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Merri-bek Primary School, Coburg

Merri-bek Primary School in Coburg is a multicultural public school that is embracing sustainability action…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 14, 2021

An area of CERES with part of the Terra Wonder playspace shown amongst gum and casurina trees

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CERES, Brunswick East

CERES is an environmental education centre, urban farm and social enterprise hub spread across four…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 14, 2021

Marquee stall with native seedlings displayed and people talking

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Brunswick Communities for Nature

Brunswick Communities for Nature (Brunswick C4N) is a volunteer community group that assists residents to…

Donna LuckmanJanuary 14, 2021

Crowd of people gathering around market stalls under a large tree

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Coburg Farmers Market

Coburg Farmers Market provides the community with Victorian produce direct from the farmers themselves. Every…

Donna LuckmanDecember 22, 2020

Women on a cargo bike with two small children on a seat over the back wheel

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Elvira’s cargo bike

Elvira is a Coburg North resident who has always loved cycling. However, when she had…

Donna LuckmanDecember 21, 2020

Moreland Bicycle User members holding a small whiteboard where they have written that they would like safer biking streets

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Merri-bek Bicycle User Group

The Merri-bek Bicycle User Group (Merri-bek BUG) is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers who…

Donna LuckmanDecember 1, 2020

Adult and child look at bugs on backyard plants in pots through a magnifying glass

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STEM Catalyst

STEM Catalyst run a variety of science programs and workshops for children in and around…

Donna LuckmanNovember 26, 2020

A group of people including kids holding a banner with the word NUCA stitched into it

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Neighbours United for Climate Action

Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA) is Merri-bek and Darebin based community group that is…

Donna LuckmanNovember 20, 2020

Rooftop solar panels on large university campus building

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RMIT Brunswick

RMIT University is a multi-sector university of technology, design and enterprise that exists to prepare…

Donna LuckmanNovember 18, 2020

Four preschool aged children with shovels digging holes for native trees with help from an adult instructor

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Little Sprouts Program

The Little Sprouts program provides specialised support for early childhood services in Merri-bek, and in…

Donna LuckmanNovember 17, 2020

A permaculture garden with a pink sunset background

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Ecological Justice Hub, Jesuit Social Services

The Ecological Justice Hub is a permaculture garden dedicated to both social and environmental justice,…

Donna LuckmanNovember 17, 2020

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Merri Health

Merri Health is a not for profit community health care organisation with health sites across…

Donna LuckmanNovember 17, 2020

A group of people sit amongst grasses and shrubbery while weeding

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Friends of Merri Creek

Restoring and revegetating the Merri Creek Friends of Merri Creek (FoMC) is a volunteer environmental…

Donna LuckmanNovember 17, 2020

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Brunswick Uniting Church

Brunswick Uniting Church is a Merri-bek congregation of the Uniting Church (Christian faith) with approximately…

Donna LuckmanNovember 17, 2020

Solar panels on top of an industrial roof

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Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC)

The Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) is a national collaboration between key industry stakeholders.…

Donna LuckmanNovember 17, 2020

Birds eye view of the rooftop of Conga Foods building showing extensive solar panels covering the roof

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Conga Foods/Pakval/DC Coffee

Based in Coburg North, Conga Foods is one of Australia’s leading private, family-owned companies in…

Donna LuckmanNovember 16, 2020

3 individuals clearing excessive vegetation and weeds from alongside the Upfield bike and walking path

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Upfield Urban Forest

Photo credit: Jane Holroyd Upfield Urban Forest is a community project that aims to…

Donna LuckmanNovember 16, 2020